Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Hu condemns western intervention in Libya

At long last, China has come out with outright condemnation of the western military intervention in Libya. What is of great significance is that the criticism has come from President Hu Jintao and China has promptly publicised it. Equally noteworthy is that Hu chose to make his criticism at a meeting in Beijing today with the visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has been the most ardent exponent in the western world of the military intervention in Libya. According to the Xinhua news agency report, Hu said history has repeatedly shown that the use of force is not an answer to problems, but only makes them more complicated. "Dialogue and other peaceful means are the ultimate solutions to problems," Hu said.The Libyan situation has captured international attention and China is greatly concerned about the situation, Hu said, adding that China believes that the UN Security Council's resolution on Libya aims to quell violence and protect civilians. "If military action brings disaster to civilians and causes a humanitarian crisis, then it runs counter to the purpose of the UN resolution," Hu said.In a reference apparently to the stance taken by the African Union against the NATO intervention in Libya, Hu said, "We have noticed that some countries and regional organizations have raised proposals and suggestions in solving the Libya crisis, which did not lack constructive ideas." He advised Sarkozy that China believes it is in the interests of all concerned parties to positively respond to these proposals. Stressing China's support of political efforts to ease the tension in Libya, Hu said China has called on relevant parties to immediately cease fire, seek peaceful ways to solve problems and avoid more civilian casualties. Hu said China believes that the independence, sovereignty, unification and territorial integrity of a country should be respected and that China is against the use of force in international affairs.It is noteworthy that Hu spoke at length on the Libyan issue. Quite obviously, Beijing senses that the West is unilaterally expanding the scope of the UN SC resolution and a likelihood of western troop deployment on Libyan soil cannot be ruled out. Hu's stance comes as a big snub to Sarkozy and the Chinese stance makes it impossible for the NATO to gain any clear-cut mandate from the UN SC, as it had managed to secure for its involvement in the Balkans and Afghanistan.China's clear-cut position should also embolden circles within Russia that are alarmed over the western intervention in Libya to raise their head over the parapet. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has been keeping an ambivalent stance so far, which drew pointed commendation from US President Barack Obama personally. Medvedev's overriding priority has been not to let the Libya problem come in the way of spoiling his policy of "reset" with Obama despite the glaring fact that the western intervention in Libya goes against the fundamental tenets of Russian foreign policy that Moscow has been espousing in the past decade. Hu's stance puts pressure on Moscow to speak out unequivocally on the Libyan problem.

Libyan intervention, given the backdrop of Middle East events was necessary. The intervention has multiple objectives. Safeguard the rebels, aspire to establish democracy by overthrowing 40 year old dynastic regime, and most critically secure oil supplier. All these objectives are likely to be met.

China is most unlikely to trigger a showdown on Libya. It can not extol virtues of democracy either, can only opt for a moralistic platitude on violence is not an answer. The inevitable showdown with West would come as per its own planning of a chain of events, where the stakes are higher, better controlled and turned to its decisive advantage. Their planning team must be already working on a strategy in case Saudi Arabia gets hit by a democratic domino.

India hopefully would not rely on siding with China and Russia to provide the oppositional role. Such a line, as implied by Mr Bhadrakumar, would be ticket to isolation for only China and Russia would assume centre stage.

India would do better by being realistic towards its own interests and thereby be more credible. The political ideals of democracy we do share, but the opposing anti-colonial NAM ethos makes room for negotiation with the holding regime. It is necessary to both support the intervention and limit undue damage to the region.

We need to recognize that room for Indian diplomacy for such a complex role is better created by gaining the trust of the nations which are participants already, these include not just US and EU nations, but also Turkey and many other Arab league nations.

Western intervention is an outright invasion of democracy as it opens the door to serve its elite economic foreign interests, which aim is to control resources and control the population like the scum of Arabia. Libya has the highest development of all Africa.

About Me

I was a career diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service. Devoted much of my 3-decade long career to the Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran desks in the Ministry of External Affairs and in assignments on the territory of the former Soviet Union. I'm Russian-speaking and had served twice in the Indian embassy in Moscow. Other diplomatic assignments abroad included as Ambassador to Turkey and Uzbekistan and Acting/Deputy High Commissioner in Islamabad, besides postings in the Indian Missions in Bonn, Colombo and Seoul. By the way, briefly held charge as Charge d’Affaires in the Indian embassies in Kuwait and Kabul. After leaving the diplomatic service, I took to writing and I contribute to The Asia Times, The Hindu and Deccan Herald. I live in New Delhi.